COLOMBIAN OUIJA PANIC
Following the hospitalisation of 11 schoolchildren from the Agricultural Technical Institute in Hato, Colombia, after allegedly using a Ouija board late last year (), 28 girls at the Galeras Educational Institution in Pasto, also in Colombia, collapsed on 27 February, again after allegedly using a Ouija board. All the girls in Pasto fainted, showed signs of anxiety and other related symptoms and were admitted to hospital, with one parent saying, “Parents, you have to move, investigate what’s happening at school, because our children cannot continue in this situation”, adding, “Our children always have a good breakfast and it cannot be said that what’s happening is due to lack of food.” Sensibly, the school’s head, Hugo Torres, describedstudents to succumb had pre-existing medical conditions. While it appears that the Hato event was caused by the students drinking contaminated water, Torres clearly recognised this outbreak as a social panic, probably triggered by stories about Hato, and took the appropriate calming measures.
